MAM

MUMBAI: Perhaps the most enthralling of all the speakers at the Advertising Agencies Association of India's (AAAI) Diamond Jubilee celebrations' conference was WPP country manager Ranjan Kapur, who gave the keynote address and had the audience in rapt attention.

Speaking on what makes successful brands, he said that brands were not made in the era of shortages, but in the era of plenty. "Those brands that were built in the era of shortage must reinvent themselves and reassess the brand loyalty that they have in the market. The brand of the future will be built in the 21st century," he said.

Kapur also emphasized on the fact that one thing that the industry needed to watch out for were media independents. "They are going to become the 360 degree agencies of the future as they have strategic planning muscle, are rich on data and are privy to ad spend of companies," he said.

He stressed on the fact that in three to five years' time, there will be a divide among people who want to be rich and those who want to be famous. "It is in our hands to grab the opportunity to become rich and famous at the same time," Kapur said.

Another emerging section that the industry must watch out for was mobile telephony. "The way we consume content is going to change. Mobile telephony is going to play a big role in our lives. Every form of content from every medium will be privy to the mobile very soon," he said.

"The Indian broadcast industry lacks interactivity and is moreover a one way medium. The day they complete the loop, it will be great and mobile telephony will help in doing that. One reason why American Idol or Indian Idol is so popular is because of the interactivity. Broadcast media should enter the mind space of the consumer away from home. Mobility and content combined is the way ahead," Kapur emphasised.